This is the thought that’s been rocking my brain for the past few weeks. It doesn’t even need to be said that every new parent is petrified of what kind of job they’re going to do at raising their children, so here’s just one new momma’s inside look.

I grew up in a household where my parents were very good at expressing their love for each other. Never a phone call, a good bye, a hello, a good job – nothing in our household went without an “I love you.”

But, nothing lasts forever and what I thought was written in the stars, crumbled so suddenly it sent me into a frantic sense of being that nothing can last forever.

Now, I’ve made it a point that I will show my kids just how much I love their father. That even if they happen to…

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I want to take some time today to tell you about an organization that is very close to my heart. It’s Hope Unlimited Family Care Center and Medical Clinic. Many people here in our own area aren’t aware of it, and if they are, they are completely unaware of all of the wonderful things done and supported by this ministry. Hope Unlimited has come a very long way since it’s beginning in 1989. It started in a small building as a place for one to go with an unplanned pregnancy, for free pregnancy tests and support for the mom to be. Now, some 27 years later, it has blossomed into a ministry serving not only these women in a crisis situation, but also the entire family, in crisis or not. The vision of Hope Unlimited is to serve families as a whole and they now offer a myriad of services intended to do just that.

Yes, free pregnancy tests are still offered, but there is now so much more. There is a program designed to help parents or guardians of children under the age of 18 to acquire necessities such as clothing, diapers, food and other essentials while also working towards a goal set by themselves, or working towards healing from certain past hurts that many of us carry. There are programs in place to educate high school and middle school children on sexual integrity, and opportunities for men and women to learn job skills that will better empower them to find and keep jobs so that they may support their families. There is also the medical side to Hope Unlimited.. Free STI testing is now available as well as a full OB medical clinic where a woman can choose to have her prenatal and post-partum care.

There are truly so many facets to this ministry that I can’t do it justice, I’m not a marketer… If this sounds even remotely interesting, please click the link below. It is an interactive copy of the newest newsletter from Hope Unlimited..

Yesterday around supper time, as we were clamoring to our dinner seats and bribing our children to eat their vegetables, a family on the other side of town was frantically searching for their four year old son.

As we were begging our children to just take five more bites of their untouched plates, this family was screaming for their neighbors to help them find their missing boy.

As we were demanding our children just sit still and stop playing around, this family was dialing 911 frantically making a missing child’s report.

As we were finally losing it when our children’s dilly dallying caused their glass of milk to spill across the entire table and pour in a splattering puddle upon the floor, this family and their neighbors and the police canvased the nearby neighborhood looking for this little boy.

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My baby brother is 9 years younger than me, we were always very close and I love him very much. He and his beautiful wife have an amazing 7 year old who is my princess. 17 days ago, they brought another little princess into this world. This was to be a wonderful day that so many of us looked forward to, Karley Marie was born, beautiful and loved!

(ignore the date, my camera is set wrong)

Soon after she was born, she started turning blue. The doctors said she had some fluid on her lungs due to being born via c-section and she would be just fine.

The next thing we knew, they were gearing up to fly her to Kosair Children’s Hospital in Louisville, Ky. They had done a chest x-ray and found out that she actually had been born with Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH). This is a very dangerous condition in which there is a hole in the diaphragm, allowing intestines and sometimes other abdominal organs to herniate into the chest cavity. This can take up room meant for the lungs and cause them to not develop properly, sometimes not at all. We were told she only had a 50/50 chance of survival. Of course, I start researching this and found out that some babies with very little functioning lung tissue survive, while others with no lung damage at all do not and there’s no real way of knowing which babies will pull through and which will not. It was a feeling that I, as wordy as I am, can’t find the words to describe.

Karley underwent surgery at just 2 days old. The doctor’s said it could take up to 4 hours to perform, they were done in 45 minutes! We were told that this had to have happened very late in the pregnancy, there was very little damage to her lung and only needed stitches to repair the hole in her diaphragm, instead of a mesh that is sometimes used. She is a fighter! She recovered and healed very quickly. As of now, the doctor’s don’t expect any long-term issues associated with this. What a little miracle! I say she just needed to make a grand entrance, a little diva just like her big sister!

Karley is home with her family now and doing great! She was in Kosair for 13 days, it could have been much worse and I’m so thankful things have turned out the way they have!

While she was in the hospital, my brother and his wife stayed in the Ronald McDonald house. I don’t know if any of you have ever needed this, or has known anyone who has, but this is a wonderful charity and I am now a big supporter! The doctor’s and nurse’s that took care of Karley, along with the wonderful people at the Ronald McDonald house are true blessings to so many scared families. I feel like I owe them all a huge amount that I could never repay! Thanks to them, God, and a very determined and tough little girl, I now have the pleasure of enjoying my nieces for a very long time!

If you would like to learn more about the hospital or the Ronald McDonald House Charities, please check out the links below. They are truly wonderful!

Trust me, I've been there, I've looked, I've searched and I know now, that there are no answers to be found in the bottom of a bottle or on the edge of a blade! Fighting Hard, Recovering, Rebuilding, REBORN. Moving on from addiction to a new life.